Ash Creek in Ash Canyon

I didn't work today and decided I needed to get out with the dogs for a quick jaunt up the nearby canyons. I wanted to check out Ash Creek, a lovely three-mile out-and-back hike to the springs and back.

This jaunt would give the dogs and me some exercise as well as let me see some flood damage from the recent rains.

All three dogs were clearly ready for a decent walk again. They hadn't had their exercise lately and Sadie was getting cabin fever.

There weren't the downed trees as there were in Miller Canyon. Instead, the creekbed has been ripped open to three times its width. Most of the wash was easy to walk through since sand has covered all the loose rocks from before. It was actually quite pleasant, although the old trail alongside the creek is now completely gone. The old gold panning area is completely washed away as well as the old mining trail to that site. The open green meadow is also no longer. One good thing is that target shooters are back shooting up their trash and then leaving it behind for the floods to wash it all downstream. There's already a small heap of plastice, brass shell casings and blown-up old hoursehold appliances thrown in the creekbed.

New shoots are coming up from many of the sycamores. Grasses are coming up. It's not as bad as I had expected, however, the flood season hasn't ended yet. We are due our first "winter storm" late Wednesday across the state and we may get rain. Temperatures will drop 20 degrees. So at least I got to walk the old canyon creek I always enjoyed taking the dogs up.

The creekbed will probably not be restored in this area. Further downhill, where the homes are, is more construction to regulate a creekbed that's threatening to erode property. That area is obviously a more important area to reenforce for right now.

We were only gone about two hours. If I am not working Wednesday I will attempt the upper region to the overlook. Clouds were looking menacing and it began to thunder shortly after we got home at 1:50pm.